When Relatives Come to Visit...

  In the Forbidden Zone, I quickly pulled myself out of the hatch and onto the Garilu's roof. Then I ran down the front of the still-moving rover, including down it's front window which Marcel Lestrange most likely hadn't expected, and then I jumped to the ground near Lady Christianna. Then as I walked beside my wife I said lovingly to her, "Snow Angel, we have been worried sick. So please tell me what is going on so that we can help!"

  Without looking at him Lady replied as she trudged forward without missing a step, "Following... the voices. Need help..."

  Then not lessening her pace Lady tilted her white tousled head at him and staring at him with narrowed pink eyes she remarked in a matter-of-fact manner, "Know you... somewhere... ? "

  I glanced back at Lena as I thought, "Dak here we go again."

  Then while still walking beside Lady, I removed my helmet and strapped it to my armor's chest-plate as I stepped in front of her. However I was now walking backwards as she continued to keep walking. So as I faced her and walked backwards I responded with, "Yes you know me, where it matters. Although I suppose the new medium armor may be throwing you off slightly, as I hadn't let you see it while I was still working on it."

  I then reached out and gently touched her chest where her heart is located as I said, "Lady Christianna Batman! I am Atticus Batman, also known as 'The Harbinger of Death'. However you know me as Atticus; your loving husband, your soulmate and the father of you wonderful twin children! As for some odd voices needing help, of course we will help them if it is at all possible. It is what we specialize in as the Paradise Protectors."

  With that said, I quickly raised both ahnds and gently cupped her face between them. Then I lent forward and kissed her on her lips. After lingering there for a few seconds, I slowly pulled my head back and looked into her eyes as I waited to see what reaction or possible recognition my actions would stir up in her, although I continued to cup her beautiful face between my huge gloved hands as I continued to slowly walk backwards with her still slowly moving in the same direction that she had been heading.

  An enigmatic smile slowly crossed Lady's lips as she jumped into my arms kissing me passionately before exclaiming, "Course know you, silly!"

  I smiled back and replied with, "Mmm I love it when you are in my arms, kissing me."

  Then Lady's pink eyes, even the whites, turned ebony and she broke away from me, turning her back to me as she walked again in the direction she had before.

  As Lady had started walking forward again, I glanced back at Lena, then said to Lena and Marcel over our current team channel, "Well this is definitely odd! The physical contact seems to snap her out of whatever is controlling her. However once it is broken, her eyes turn an ebony and she goes back to mindlessly following whatever 'voices' she hears! Looks like we continue to follow her until we discover what the source is and figure out how to stop it....However if the contact from our kiss is what made her lucid again, even if just for a few seconds, I am going to try something else. If it works, then at least we will have her back while we continue on this path to locate whatever it is that we need to locate and 'help'."

  With that I stepped to Lady's side and put my helm back on, as I started to walk beside her. Then I removed one of my armored gloves and attached it to my armor so as not to lose it. Next I reached over with my now-unarmored (but of course, Grid-cloth gloved) hand and gently took Lady's in my own; hoping that the physical contact with me is what cleared her mind. Besides it has been too long since I had time to hold my beloved's hand. This way, if her mind is clear when we physically touch, then at least we can both enjoy each other's touch and company as we continued on her current path. Then we would of course investigate when we got to Lady's mystery location.

  In the Forbidden Zone when I grabbed my wife's hand, Lady Christianna turned quickly and deftly grabbed me at the chin of my helmet and hefted me into the air with her other hand.

  I looked down at Lady, my eyes flickering several shades of blue as I wondered what the hell gave her the sudden strength to...well... to maneuver my huge frame one hand like I do to...well... to everybody that gets in my way. However I refused to release her hand and instead continued to hold it lovingly.

  Then Lady's eyes swirling black and white like a yin-yang symbol as she looked up at him, a confused expression on her face as she slowly lowered him to the ground. Her eyes turned black again as she renewed her trek but she held on to his large hand with hers as she walked.

  Now that I was back on my feet but still unsettled and slightly confused by Lady's sudden show of strength, with me still holding Lady's hand; both lovingly and protectively; I kept by her side where I belong as we continued to walk. However I had also glanced back at the Garilu where Lena was still perched, and said to her over our EGO channel, "Well that was daking interesting! However at least she has calmed some, while we continue our walk to wherever the daking hell we are going. Although that odd strength has me wondering if her powers have manifested some new abilities like super-strength or some-daking-thing."

  Some point after Lady had set me down and willingly took my hand as we resumed our walk to who-knows-where, Lena Marr had slipped back into the Protectors' vehicle and from the co-pilot's seat accessed the radar to see what was in front of them whereupon frowning she told all their party with her com-set, "Big crater ahead, but inside off center... something big... about five times the size of our vehicle... man-made... a structure... or maybe... a crashed airship!"

  Lena's frown deepened as she muttered, "I'm getting... singing from it? Feminine voice... sounds familiar... 'I ain't got no-body?' What the hell?"

  I responded to Lena via EGO and said, "Familiar like one of the Synth sisters, or more familiar like Lady somehow is both there and with me at the same time?___Dak that sounds crazy even for me, although we have seen crazier things over the last couple years! Then again, perhaps I just need a long nap with Lady, once this 'rescue' mission is over Besides that is obviously the case because I know Lady better than anybody including myself. So I know without a doubt that this is 100% definitely my amazing wife holding my hand, even if the singing you are picking up is somehow clouding her wonderful mind!...

  ..Anyway the crater and whatever is in it, keep scanning that thing as we get closer. While you are at it, adjust the scan parameters to scan it for the Synth Sister's signatures, and all other known Synth signatures while you are at it. However the Synth sisters were expecting an airship early this morning just in case it needed to bomb the Crater. So maybe it's their ship and the voice belongs to whichever sister boarded it. Besides from what little I know about her, and what Dinara is telling me about that song, it sounds like something Whitney could sing after her failed romances, especially considering how Skar treated her. However you have spent a lot more time with Whitney than I have, so you tell me."

---

  At the door into Holo-suite #3, Jalina said to Atika, "Alright, I contacted Mother and she said she would come help us with the program, but to start by accessing her old surfer program."

  Atika smiled and said, "Alright. Just let me see if I can find and access it without her personal code......aaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnddddd we are in luck!...Well kind of! I was able to load it. However it's editing controls are locked by her password. So I guess we will just have to wait for her to come and do the editing for us, after all that makes sense anyway since she is the one who knows about her program and that surfing movie you were telling me about. Besides, I am not going to try hacking her private code since that is wrong and._____ she already disapproves of some of my lifestyle and I am afraid she may decide I am a bad influence for you and make us quit being friends, not to mention thaaat...um...don't take this the wrong way, because I do like her and want to be friends with all of our friends and family here, buuuuuuut.....your mom's strength and determination in all her convictions and her protective manner when friends and family are concerned; the latter being a trait all our wonderful Commanders seem to share; can make her just as scary as the Prime Commander in some ways. So I do NOT want to give her any more reasons to dislike me more than she already does, so please don't tell her what I said about her scaring me!

  Anywaaay.... putting that aside as much as possible, you are soooooo soooo lucky to have such a strong and interesting woman as your mother, not to mention having one as an Aunt too...plus you are all three so beautiful and fun and interesting in your own wonderful ways!"

  Then as they waited, Atika contacted her brother via EGO to let him know what she and Jalina were up to in case he wanted to join them, whenever he is allowed off-duty. Next she contacted Doctor Von Eschen via EGO saying, "Doc, sorry to interupt your session with Micfi, but thought you would want to know that, with Commander Bell-Uljanov's permission and approval, Jalina and I are loading some sort of surfing-and-beach-party-program in Holo-suite #3 and that we would like Micfi to join us after your session. Actually Doc, you can join all of us too if you want. The more the merrier!"

  Just then the large airship, laying off-center in a huge mile wide crater, appeared on the horizon. It was a strange black streamlined with numerous antennae that appeared to serve no purpose and no obvious armaments. What was even odder was the fact that it would flicker and disappear from sight from time to time - or a better description is that it would bend light and go invisible from time to time as electricity arced between the strange antennae.

  "Some kind of Synth stealth tech I bet," Muttered Lena more to herself than anyone else than noticed on the map where exactly they were in the Forbidden Zone informing the other's vis a' vis her head com, "That crater ain't caused from the crash by-the-way! That's where Belle's old Volge colony was before it collapsed into that cavern full of Olmec machines! I think we're heading into BIIIG trouble Bat-Boss!"

  I responded to Lena with, "Of course we are. It can never be too easy for us. However we still need to go there, so I guess we continue on our path. We will let Lady lead the way since she is the one that can hear them. Perhaps that way it will help prevent them from seeing us as an immediate threat. Also..."

  I stopped mid-sentence deciding I still wasn't read to convey the thoughts I have been having since Lady lifted me off the ground out-loud. So instead I contacted Lena via private EGO channel so only she could hear me. Once she answered with, "Aw Atty-batty! You wanna talk to little old me in private? That's sooo special! So what's up Bat-Boss?""

  I responded on the private EGO channel with, "Lena this is serious time. So just listen for a second. I know what I said over chat earlier about this being Lady. However the truth is I think the exact opposite. Her abilities are singularity based so I doubt she would have developed super strength. I noticed a hellbug corpse we passed earlier seemed to be singed by plasma, and Lady is covered in dried Hellbug blood, so it would make sense she did it. However that contradicts that Lady's powers are definitely singularity and not plasma, as well as the fact that as the Harbinger of Life Lady dislikes even killing hellbugs if she doesn't have to. So there is no way she would have done that much damage to one just because it crossed her path.

  Not only that but, back when we encountered her, she didn't recognize us, and still only seems vaguely aware of me, only knowing me when the voices she hears are silent. Obviously those voices are the Synth Sisters, since she says the voices need help and it's obvious the Sisters indeed need help. However they can only communicate that way with other Synths as far as I know. So even though I really really hate doubting Lady....please do a stealth scan on her to see if she is actually a Synth. Also scan that ship as well as you can to see if you can pick up Lady's DNA signature. I am hoping that if my hunch is true; even if I really dislike it as I have NEVER doubted Lady before for any reason; then the Lady that is with me is a Synth, and I am really hoping that means my actual wife is in that ship and alive somewhere. So again please do those scans....and Lena not a word to anybody else about this, not even Marcel, until we know for sure either way. We can not risk this Lady or the sisters knowing my suspicions just yet, just in case they prove correct. After all if my current paranoia proves correct, as it normally does, then by us knowing this before the Synth Sisters can use it against us puts us at a slight advantage for the time-being."

Atticus Batman responded on Lena Marr's private EGO channel with, "Lena this is serious time. So just listen for a second. I know what I said over chat earlier about this being Lady. However the truth is I think the exact opposite. Her abilities are singularity based so I doubt she would have developed super strength. I noticed a hellbug corpse we passed earlier seemed to be singed by plasma, and Lady is covered in dried Hellbug blood, so it would make sense she did it. However that contradicts that Lady's powers are definitely singularity and not plasma, as well as the fact that as the Harbinger of Life Lady dislikes even killing hellbugs if she doesn't have to. So there is no way she would have done that much damage to one just because it crossed her path."

"Well, maybe if it attacked her she would," Lena thought to herself with a wicked grin but replied via her EGO, "Yeah, I saw it. It was a warrior."

Atticus continued, "Not only that but, back when we encountered her, she didn't recognize us, and still only seems vaguely aware of me, only knowing me when the voices she hears are silent. Obviously those voices are the Synth Sisters, since she says the voices need help and it's obvious the Sisters indeed need help. However they can only communicate that way with other Synths as far as I know. So even though I really really hate doubting Lady....please do a stealth scan on her to see if she is actually a Synth. Also scan that ship as well as you can to see if you can pick up Lady's DNA signature. I am hoping that if my hunch is true; even if I really dislike it as I have NEVER doubted Lady before for any reason; then the Lady that is with me is a Synth, and I am really hoping that means my actual wife is in that ship and alive somewhere. So again please do those scans....and Lena not a word to anybody else about this, not even Marcel, until we know for sure either way. We can not risk this Lady or the sisters knowing my suspicions just yet, just in case they prove correct. After all if my current paranoia proves correct, as it normally does, then by us knowing this before the Synth Sisters can use it against us puts us at a slight advantage for the time-being."

"Right-o Daddy-o, scan in progress" Lena answered cheerfully but then added in a serious noted, "By-the-way, I don't keep nothing from Pooh Bear, so know that I already forwarded your whole transmission to Marcel so he knows what I know. Just FYI!"

After a few minutes, Lena reported hesitantly, "Weelll... if this Lady is a Synth than she is a new type that is awfully good at replicating the original. That said... my scanning devices here are limited as is my expertise in biology. You need Dr. Orion in his lab at Fortress K'shaa to examine her at the molecular level to be sure. I don't see any life signatures other than Synth on that ship. Are you sure the Synth Sisters aren't victims instead of foes? I mean, they've fought with us not against us for some time now... but... let me try something..."

After a few minutes more, Lena sounded alarmed as she exclaimed, "Holy crap Batman! I tried to scan the cavern below the ship but there was so much Olmec energy going on down there that our instruments couldn't get through, kind of like white noise. But here's the bad news, Whitney on board the ship is permeated with the same energy and worse news... so is your wifey-poo!"

"So" said Volodja.

"So" copied Aunt Agahta and added: "You were saying?"

"Will you accept the kind invitation to the beach party? It would certainly beat being locked up," told Volodja.

"Of course, I will. After everything you put me through, I need some relaxation. As long as you stay in reasonable distance from me during the party. Considering your crying incompetence the reasonable distance would be another hemisphere but you can't have everything, can you? Smedley can serve me. Now you will get out and let me change into my beachwear. Out, I said!"

Volodja's feet carried him out from the quest quarters and right into the holo suite where he absent mindedly found a quiet corner where he didn't disturbed anyone. There he begun to build a sand castle because he really needed a relaxing activity of some kind. Actually it wasn't exactly a castle he was building. It was a copy of the Basilica minor Sagrada Familia - the one of a kind vision of Antoni Gaudi.


_________

"So that leaves the Count to handle the Garilu, which means you and Marcel may have to give him a very quick-crash course on it if it is unfamiliar to him," concluded Atticus Batman.

"Always trying to try new things!" announced Count Giacomo Casannuendo and dragged Marcel along. Since he was an experienced inventor and possessor a natural talent in mechanics, he was able to learn everything he needed to know about the "Garilu"  and even those things he didn't needed to know like...

"I wonder what's this button is meant for?" he asked from Marcel who sat beside him. 

"Not sure but I do suggest you to tame your curiosity..." Marcel begun but it was too late. The Count already pushed it and Marcel found that his face was pressed into a huge...

"Now we know exactly what this button does," concluded Marcel's calm but muffled voice. "It activates the air bags. Probably for testing purposes. Must be a new installation since I do not remember it from the last time. I wonder what else they installed here."
_________

Wolfram von Eschen was stuck on his own way after discovering that he became a sudden seduction object of his patient. His EGO unit Sigmund didn't bothered to interfere because he smoked a cigar and while he wasn't smoking he used an opportunity to make notes. Sexuality was his topic after all and this particular situation was a water to his mill. 

"At least there is a table between us," thought Wolfram von Eschen. "A really wide and solid table."